


Revenge in the Best Way

by TheDevil_MadeMeDoIt



Category: Captive Prince - C. S. Pacat
Genre: ? - Freeform, Auguste (Captive Prince) Lives, Fake/Pretend Relationship, I Don't Even Know, M/M, Revenge, Slow Burn, auguste and nik are sick of lamens shit, auguste lives au, but cute, fake turns real, mostly fluffy, not bad revenge
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-19
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-04-04 12:55:27
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 4,595
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14020698
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheDevil_MadeMeDoIt/pseuds/TheDevil_MadeMeDoIt
Summary: auguste and nikndros decide to get back at damen and laurent for being overwhelmingly in love all the time





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> this was written for [@laurent_ofvere](https://tmblr.co/mwa10s8gQrqGw4ec4A1qRGw) on Tumblr. i hope you like it!
> 
> find me on [My Tumblr](https://thedevilmademedo1t.tumblr.com/)

It had been six years since the battle at Marlas. Auguste of Vere was a well loved king, not only in his kingdom, but even Akielos and Patras revered his rule. He was fair to his people, listening to the needs of the poor and the woes of the rich. He was just, and kind, and, most importantly to his council, he was single.

Now at the age of thirty one, auguste had been without a wife or lover since the passing of his beloved Olivia, who had died giving birth to his stillborn son four years prior. It seemed in everyone's best interest to let their king grieve as he saw fit if they ever wanted to step foot in the great hall again. Laurent, now nearing his twenty first year, was supremely loyal to his brother, and was willing to fight tooth and nail to make sure that he never got hurt again.

He still remembered that day, years ago when he saw that sword enter his brother's body on the battlefield. He still saw the blood, a deep crimson in comparison to the shining steel dripping off of his sword. Laurent could no longer think of it as Damianos’ sword. Damen, the king of Akielos, and Laurents lover, would have never broken his brothers skin. Not on purpose.

Laurent felt a nudge from his left, where Auguste sat, raising an eyebrow at his distracted brother. They were sitting on their respective thrones in the great hall, listening, yet again, to one of the council members try to get Auguste to at least consider taking another bride, lest he fall ill and die right that moment.

“Do you not think,” the king began, silencing the council member immediately.

“No, brother. He doesn't.” Laurent managed to interject before Auguste could continue. A smirk appeared on the king's face before he could stop it, but he continued nonetheless.

“Do you not think that my brother, prince Laurent of Vere, is a capable ruler in my stead? I do not see the need for me to marry again, only to breed the next generation of kings and royalty when I already have a very capable successor by my side. Do you not agree, councillor?”

The councillor could only open and close his mouth, no noise permeating the air as the king and prince looked on in expectation and amusement, respectively.

“Was it not my brother who discovered the plot of our uncle, who had planned the murders of the entire royal household? Was it not he who summoned the very physician who saved my life on the fields at Marlas? Or who expanded our trade routes with both Akielos and patras, almost single handedly?” All the councillor could do was nod his head, admitting defeat on the subject as the king continued.

“So, why is it that I need an heir, produced by me and a woman who I may not even love, when one of the most brilliant minds in the country sits at my side?”

There was no answer.

“Okay,” Laurent interjected in the silence of the room. “So, there is no issue to be discussed, is there? You are free to go, councillor.”

Never before had either of the two seen a member of the court exit a room so fast. Once the large doors were closed behind the councillors retreating back, the brother relaxed their posture on their thrones and fell into a fit of laughter over the entire situation.

It took several minutes for either of the two to calm down enough to speak. It was auguste who found his control first.

“Im sure you know that we are expecting visitors in the next day or so? I’m sure you've been writing to king Damianos non stop since his last visit to Vere.”

Laurent nodded enthusiastically, a bright smile on his face at the thought of seeing Damen again.

“Yes. I am quite looking forward to it. Though we may have to skip out on some of the festivities. Lost time and all.” Auguste smiled knowingly as he nodded at his brother.

“Just be sure to show your face at some of the parties please? There is enough court gossip about you and the king of Akielos already. Don't feed the fire this time.” Laurent gave a noncommittal shrug before he continued as if his brother had never spoken.

“I think we’ll have to. Damen told me that he's bringing Nikandros with him this time. And that man hates me. He always interrupts whenever I get a spare moment with Damen. He follows us when we go riding, or if we go into one of the smaller villages. We never get a moment alone when he's around!”

When he was finished, Laurent's face was red and his speech sounded more like a complaining toddler than a prince's woes. Auguste couldn't help but smile as his brother tried to compose himself again.

“I remember, you've told me about Nikandros before. Kryos of Ios, yes? One of king Damianos’ most trusted advisors. I'm surprised that I've never met him before. I look forward to sharing his woes about you and his king. He's not the only one who suffers through watching the two of you together, you know.”

Laurent rolled his eyes and stood from his throne, stretching his arms into the air as he said, “Yes. Im sure the two of you will have a lovely time regaling your tragic woes of having to watch two people be in love. Have fun with that.”

Auguste smirked as he watched his brother walk away from the thrones, probably to retreat into the kitchens or the library to write yet another letter to the king of Akielos.


	2. Chapter 2

Over the next three days, the capital of Vere was an epicenter of activity. Of course, this happened every time Vere hosted royalty from another province or country. Auguste had received word from Damianos that he and his party would be arriving within three hours after the sun reached it's peak. 

This time, Auguste didn't have to do anything but sit and wait, watching as his brother ran around ordering people to set those flowers in the entry, or to groom every horse in the stables, royal or not. His brother, Auguste thought, may have been going a bit overboard with the preparations. 

By the time his guards reported seeing the bright flash of red that signaled Damianos’ royal flag, Laurent had worn himself out to the point of lying on the cool marble floor in front of his throne, trying desperately to stay awake to witness the arrival of Akielos’ king. Not that there was any issue with Laurent as he greeted the king.

When the king’s party breached the castle's gates, there was little fanfare. Damianos was a simple ruler, who had no wish for anything lavish or extravagant, as he had to repeatedly tell the members of the Veritian court, who were very obviously offended by the Akielon kings’ way of living. 

He embraced Auguste, who had gone out to greet Damianos and the members of his guard. Auguste had very little time to move out of the way before his brother was pushing past him to greet the foreign king. 

Auguste heard a loud sigh coming from Damianos’ right side and turned to see a man rolling his eyes at the king and the prince embracing as if they had not seen each other for years. The man was shorter than his king, but who wasn't? He had dark hair and eyes with an olive complexion, as was usual for the people of Akielos. The man must have been a few years older than his king, as his experience of battle and rule was shown on his face. 

Auguste moved to greet the man, having figured that he was of somewhat political importance to Damianos. The man held out his hand for Auguste to shake and gave the cursory “your majesty”, giving off the impression that he was not impressed by the goings on around him. 

Auguste followed the man's eyes to see that the king and Laurent were still holding tightly to each other, and he couldn't suppress the sigh that was building up inside of his chest. The man, still grasping Auguste’s hand, laughed.

“I see I'm not the only one plagued by these two night and day. It's good to know that someone shares the sentiment.” Auguste nodded as he released the other man's hand. 

“Yes. you must be Nikandros then. Kryos of Ios, and, prior to that, to Delpha, yes? I've heard many stories about you, though I'm not entirely sure how many of them are true, seeing as they came from my brother.” He got a nod of affirmation from Nikandros as the party of royalty and guardsmen began the slow journey into the castle. Laurent and Damianos had separated enough for the two to walk side by side with their fingers intertwined, going through the grand archway of the castle entrance. 

Auguste and Nikandros were also side by side as they walked into the castle, both beginning to regale their tales of dealing with the prince and the king, both together and separately. 

“You don't understand,” Nikandros started, speaking of Damen after Laurent came back to Vere from his last visit. “He barely acts like a king as it is. And whenever your brother leaves, Damen just sulks like a puppy who's lost it's master. It's pathetic, really.” 

Auguste couldn't help the barking laugh that left his throat. 

“You would speak of your king in such a way?” Nikandros looked at him out of the corner of his eye. 

“He was my friend before he was my king. We grew up together. He knows I mean nothing treasonous when I speak of him this way.” The two men watched as Laurent showed Damianos where he was to be seated, at the head of the table with Nikandros, Auguste and himself. Auguste couldn't help but smile.

“As much grief as I give my brother about his relationship with your king, i must admit that it has been a long time since I've seen him smile like that.” Nikandros tilted his head at that, aiming his gaze towards the two people in question as they were surrounded by servants ready to fill their cups or their plates at the head of the table.

“I can see your point. After everything with the corruption with his brother, and dealing with the aftermath of the alliance between Kastor and your uncle. Theomedes’ death. He deserves to be happy, even with a foreign prince who is far too clever for his own good.” Auguste nodded his agreement. 

“Well, it seems the two have settled in somewhat. What do you say to joining me at the feast? Since those two are ignoring the proper seating arrangement. It seems Laurent has taken your chair.” And, indeed, Laurent was sitting to the far left of the table, where a seat was reserved for king Damianos’ second in command. 

“Sounds like a great plan. At least now we won't have to talk over damen when we share our stories.” Auguste waved his hand out in front of him, gesturing Nikandros in the right direction as the two made their way to the high table, Nikandros taking the chair usually reserved for the prince of Vere to Augustes’ right. It took several more minutes for the guards in Damianos’ entourage to find their places amongst the Veretian courtiers. Once everyone had found their chair, Auguste rose from his place and silence fell over the room.

“It seems that's settled then. Lets eat.”

Over the next three days, the capital of Vere was an epicenter of activity. Of course, this happened every time Vere hosted royalty from another province or country. Auguste had received word from Damianos that he and his party would be arriving within three hours after the sun reached it's peak. 

This time, Auguste didn't have to do anything but sit and wait, watching as his brother ran around ordering people to set those flowers in the entry, or to groom every horse in the stables, royal or not. His brother, Auguste thought, may have been going a bit overboard with the preparations. 

By the time his guards reported seeing the bright flash of red that signaled Damianos’ royal flag, Laurent had worn himself out to the point of lying on the cool marble floor in front of his throne, trying desperately to stay awake to witness the arrival of Akielos’ king. Not that there was any issue with Laurent as he greeted the king.

When the king’s party breached the castle's gates, there was little fanfare. Damianos was a simple ruler, who had no wish for anything lavish or extravagant, as he had to repeatedly tell the members of the Veritian court, who were very obviously offended by the Akielon kings’ way of living. 

He embraced Auguste, who had gone out to greet Damianos and the members of his guard. Auguste had very little time to move out of the way before his brother was pushing past him to greet the foreign king. 

Auguste heard a loud sigh coming from Damianos’ right side and turned to see a man rolling his eyes at the king and the prince embracing as if they had not seen each other for years. The man was shorter than his king, but who wasn't? He had dark hair and eyes with an olive complexion, as was usual for the people of Akielos. The man must have been a few years older than his king, as his experience of battle and rule was shown on his face. 

Auguste moved to greet the man, having figured that he was of somewhat political importance to Damianos. The man held out his hand for Auguste to shake and gave the cursory “your majesty”, giving off the impression that he was not impressed by the goings on around him. 

Auguste followed the man's eyes to see that the king and Laurent were still holding tightly to each other, and he couldn't suppress the sigh that was building up inside of his chest. The man, still grasping Auguste’s hand, laughed.

“I see I'm not the only one plagued by these two night and day. It's good to know that someone shares the sentiment.” Auguste nodded as he released the other man's hand. 

“Yes. you must be Nikandros then. Kryos of Ios, and, prior to that, to Delpha, yes? I've heard many stories about you, though I'm not entirely sure how many of them are true, seeing as they came from my brother.” He got a nod of affirmation from Nikandros as the party of royalty and guardsmen began the slow journey into the castle. Laurent and Damianos had separated enough for the two to walk side by side with their fingers intertwined, going through the grand archway of the castle entrance. 

Auguste and Nikandros were also side by side as they walked into the castle, both beginning to regale their tales of dealing with the prince and the king, both together and separately. 

“You don't understand,” Nikandros started, speaking of Damen after Laurent came back to Vere from his last visit. “He barely acts like a king as it is. And whenever your brother leaves, Damen just sulks like a puppy who's lost it's master. It's pathetic, really.” 

Auguste couldn't help the barking laugh that left his throat. 

“You would speak of your king in such a way?” Nikandros looked at him out of the corner of his eye. “He was my friend before he was my king. We grew up together. He knows I mean nothing treasonous when I speak of him this way.” The two men watched as Laurent showed Damianos where he was to be seated, at the head of the table with Nikandros, Auguste and himself. Auguste couldn't help but smile.

“As much grief as I give my brother about his relationship with your king, i must admit that it has been a long time since I've seen him smile like that.” Nikandros tilted his head at that, aiming his gaze towards the two people in question as they were surrounded by servants ready to fill their cups or their plates at the head of the table.

“I can see your point. After everything with the corruption with his brother, and dealing with the aftermath of the alliance between Kastor and your uncle. Theomedes’ death. He deserves to be happy, even with a foreign prince who is far too clever for his own good.” Auguste nodded his agreement. 

“Well, it seems the two have settled in somewhat. What do you say to joining me at the feast? Since those two are ignoring the proper seating arrangement. It seems Laurent has taken your chair.” And, indeed, Laurent was sitting to the far left of the table, where a seat was reserved for king Damianos’ second in command. 

“Sounds like a great plan. At least now we won't have to talk over damen when we share our stories.” Auguste waved his hand out in front of him, gesturing Nikandros in the right direction as the two made their way to the high table, Nikandros taking the chair usually reserved for the prince of Vere to Augustes’ right. It took several more minutes for the guards in Damianos’ entourage to find their places amongst the Veretian courtiers. Once everyone had found their chair, Auguste rose from his place and silence fell over the room.

“It seems that's settled then. Lets eat.”


	3. Chapter 3

It had been a week since king Damianos had come to Vere, with his guard. He and Laurent had lessened their public affection somewhat in the days following his arrival, though it was still painfully obvious to anyone with eyes that the two had hardly been separated for the past five days (if Laurents less than perfect appearance was anything to go by). 

While the PDA shared between the king of Akielos and the prince of Vere had lessoned, the festivities were still in full swing, if not even more extravagant than the first few that had been held in Damianos’ honor. This meant that the amount of drink flowing through the Veritian court and the Akielon kings guard was growing exponentially. 

Auguste, never having been as big on drinking as he made himself appear, decided to duck out of the celebration early- possibly by hours, as the moon wasn't even at it's peak yet. He was stopped far too often as he fought his way through the crowd and to his rooms.

It was dark when he shut the large oak doors to his room. The fire at the end of his long sitting room was barely flickering at this time of night and there was only one candle on the table next to his bed. 

Only, a dark shadow could be seen through the sheer fabric that gave him some semblance of privacy, surrounding his bed. As quietly as he could, Auguste drew the overly embellished sword- more ceremonial than useful, in his opinion- from the sheath at his hip ad held it in a ready position as he approached the bed. 

The figure wasn't moving overly much, it wasn't even making any noise. There was nothing to indicate that the shadow even belonged to a living being. With that thought in mind, Auguste opened the curtain around his bed and prepared for- nothing. 

“Honestly.” Auguste dropped the sword onto his bed and ran his hands through his hair. It was a pillow. New, far too fluffy to be of any use to anyone who valued their neck, and too large to fit at the head of the bed with the rest of the pillows. Auguste sat next to it and lifted a hand to his neck, willing his pulse to go down enough to be normal. Auguste would have to talk to the head of the servants in the morning. But, for now, he was far too exhausted to contemplate what to do with the thing. 

He moved around until he was laying with his head against the pillows at the head of his bed. He only had time to remove his shoes before he felt sleep surrounding him. He was warm, not having removed the rest of his intricate Veritian clothing, and had no great need for the duvet or blankets surrounding him. He was asleep within minutes of arriving at his doors.

When auguste woke next, his body protested. It was not yet light, and he knew that there were many more hours before he had to rise. It was obvious why he was woken at this hour, however. He heard his doors shut, and obviously whoever it was was trying to keep quiet. They didn't do a great job as the doors clicked loudly as the latch was released, locking whoever it was in the kings rooms.

Auguste could hear shuffling and cursing as the person made their way over to where auguste was lying, as still and as silent as he could, lest the person was there in order to harm the king. Somehow, with all of the stumbling and cursing, Auguste doubted that was what was going on. 

The curtain to his bed was pulled back and he heard his sword- which he had forgotten to get off of his bed before falling asleep- hit the ground with a small thump. After a few more moments of indistinguishable muttering, the person feel into the bed. Auguste held his breath as the person shuffled around, finding the giant pillow that Auguste had discarded earlier that night, and latching onto it like a lifeline. 

A few more moments passed without much change, but the Auguste heard the distinct sound of soft snoring coming from the mystery person who had found their way into the king's bed. Which. Auguste didn't know what to do about that. 

He ended up falling asleep again. 

He was woken up again hours later to a loud and hearty “MOTHER FUCK” and a loud thump- much louder than the one he heard in the middle of the night when his sword hit the floor. 

Auguste sat bolt upright in his bed and cautiously looked over the side, down at whoever it was on his floor now. He smirked as he saw who it was. 

“Well. good morning, Nikandros. Sleep well?”


	4. Chapter 4

Auguste was sitting at the head of the table in his chambers, watching amused as Nikandros nursed a truly horrible hangover, along with a major lump on his head from where he had fallen out of the bed this morning. 

“So… I, what. Accidentally walked into the king’s chambers, locked the door behind me, and fell into bed with you?” Nikandros groaned with his head in his arms, lying down on the table. 

“Well. not exactly.” Auguste had to contain his laughter as the Akielon groaned some more. “You were very loud. You didn't so much lock to door as you did fall onto the door and engage the lock. It seemed to be an accident. And, again, you didn't fall into bed with me. I mean, you did fall into the bed, but you also had enough sense to move the sword that was in your way first. So.” Auguste spread his hands in a “there you go” gesture and took pity on Nikandros, who was looking more miserable by the second. 

Making his way over to where Nikandros sat, Auguste offered him a large cup of water and some bread that had been delivered to him earlier in the morning. 

He was sure that the entire court would be gossiping by the time he showed his face in the castle. That not one, but both royal brother were bedding Akielons. Laurent would tease him mercilessly because “at least i'm actually bedding mine Auguste. Step up your game.” 

Nikandros gladly took the bread from Auguste and downed his water relatively quickly, acting as if he'd never eaten or drunk before. Auguste looked on, amused as Nikandros straightened up slightly in his chair, looking better already with the water coursing through his system.

Nikandros was looking down at the ground, rather than the man sitting across the table from him. Auguste still had a small, amused smile on his face. It reminded Nikandros far too much of Laurents malicious grin. The two truly were brothers, it would seem.

“Don't worry about it.” Auguste began, taking pity on the man across from him. “Im sure we can use this in our favor.”

It was only then that Nikandros looked up, fixing his gaze on Auguste for almost the first time that morning. The grin that the king had been wearing had turned into a contemplative look that made the man look much more like the king that people thought he should be. 

“What did you have in mind?” Nikandros leaned forward slightly, regretting the action immediately as his head began to spin. He gripped the table to hold himself steady and regain his bearings. 

Auguste reclined in his chair, two of the legs leaving the floor as he crossed one leg over the other and smirking in what Nikandros had deemed the “Evil Veretian Mastermind Look”. 

“I am suggesting, Nikandros, that we use your little, ah, mishap, shall we say, and turn it into some sort of revenge plot.” 

Nikandros found himself nodding along with the king without really taking in what the man was saying to him. It was only when Auguste had been silent for several minutes that he realized what had been said and jerked back, once again regretting the action immensely. 

“Say. Say that again, please? Revenge? Revenge for what?” Nikandros looked as if he was expecting the king to talk of murder of the prince and King Damianos. All Auguste did was chuckle at nNkandros’ reaction to his words. 

“Not in a bad way. Revenge for all of the...ah, domestic bliss that our two charges have been putting us through these last few months.” Auguste paused. “You know that someone must have seen you come in here last night. Word has probably gotten back to your king and my brother by now. They surely have questions. What I am suggesting is that you and I simply… bend the truth a bit.” 

At this point, Nikandros was intrigued by what the king of Vere was telling him. It took him a few moments to piece together what he had in mind.

“So, you are suggesting that we lead my king and your brother to believe that we have something going on behind closed doors?” Auguste nodded, a small grin still plastered to his face.

If the king of Vere wanted to act as if he and Nikandros were in a more than friendly relationship, the latter wasn't going to deny him. While it was true that he hounded Damen for his choice in lovers, he had to admit that the royal brothers of Vere were both rather attractive. Laurent, though, was still a bitch, Nikandros decided. He liked Auguste better. 

“Precisely. What do you think? I'm sure you’d like the opportunity to render my brother speechless.” Auguste laughed as Nikandros nodded vehemently at that statement, forgetting the pain of his hangover in his desire to agree with the Veretian king. 

Besides, Auguste had a nice laugh, Nikandros thought. Pretending to be in love with him would be no hardship. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> okay, chapter five is in the works, so i should update soon. let me know what you guys think so far! comments and kudos are much appreciated :)
> 
> -Devil


End file.
